


Slow down

by Vault_Emblem



Category: Marvel, X-Factor (Comics)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 03:40:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14803692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vault_Emblem/pseuds/Vault_Emblem
Summary: Julio and Shatterstar spend some time alone after a long day of work.Star seems still pretty hyperactive from the battle from before, and Julio decides to do something to help him slowing down.





	Slow down

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I’ll just say it now so it doesn’t come up in the comments.  
> Yes, I use hyphens for dialogues and quotation marks for thoughts. Why? Because this is how we do in Italy, the country I’m from (actually there’s more freedom in Italy and more than one method to use this kind of punctuation but whatever).  
> This is the method I’ve learned and the one I’m used to, and I don’t think I’ll even change it.  
> Please, I beg you, stop pointing it out, it’s starting to get really annoying, especially when that’s the only thing people comment about.

Their last job has been more difficult than they’ve anticipated, but they’ve managed to make it out in – more or less – one piece.

If Shatterstar hadn’t been there, Julio wouldn’t have refused Jamie’s offer to celebrate their success by going drinking until morning, but he wanted to be alone – well, not completely alone.

 

How long has it been since the two of them have been able to spend some time alone? Way too much, Rictor thinks.

Well, at least they’ll have the house all for themselves for a while.

 

 

They settle on the couch, watching tv.

It’s a start, and it’s familiar. They haven’t had much free time to live what Julio still can’t believe is an actual relationship between them; not even in his wildest dreams he would’ve believed that this was going to become a reality.

 

It appears that the universe doesn’t completely loathe him as much as he thought.

 

What was supposed to be just a brief watch of whatever series the tv had to offer quickly becomes a constant changing of channel on Star’s part.

It’s nothing new – he used to do it when he first made contact with tv and Julio remembers that he used to get so annoyed at that – but it’s something that he hasn’t seen Star do in a while.

 

He glances at the other and he sees a familiar expression on his face: his brow is furrowed and he looks way too much focused on the screen. The movements of his finger, as he presses the buttons of the remote, are way too strong for something so mundane as changing a channel.

 

It has happened before, that after a particularly exciting battle Shatterstar would stay like this for a while, in this sort of “combat mode”.

He’s on edge, waiting for something to happen, his mind buzzing at a speed that would surely give Rictor a headache if their places were swapped.

 

He needs to cool down, and Julio knows what to do, or at least, what he used to do in these cases.

He was never foolish enough to think he was an expert when it comes to massages, but with his powers he hadn’t be too bad at them. Too bad that now’s he just a useless and powerless human.

 

He still feels like he has to do something, though. He can’t let Star be like this.

He knows that there are moments where you don’t feel safe anywhere, but he wants Star to remember that he’s not alone, and that if anything happens – hopefully it won’t though – they’ll figure it out together.

 

\- Hey, Star -, he gently calls him.

His voice is soft but it’s still enough to catch Shatterstar’s attention.

\- Mmh? -.

He looks so tense.

 

 

He gently raises his hands to cup Star’s face.

His movements are slow; he knows that if he’s too sudden he’s gonna trigger Star’s fight or flight response, and he also knows that when it happens, Star always goes for the fight option and getting punched in the face by him isn’t how Julio wants to spend the night.

 

He caresses Star’s tattoo with his thumb.

It had been the first thing about him that grabbed his attention – along with his beautiful hair, his perfect physique and pretty much everything else about him – when they first met.

It’s telling that Shatterstar’s letting him touch it without reacting. That’s a symbol of slavery, of the fact that he belongs to Mojo.

 

He kisses it.

Well, not anymore.

 

He presses a gentle kiss on his lips then and Star’s response is immediate, if not a bit excessive.

He grabs onto Julio’s short, pulling him closer with too much strength, parting his lips and slipping his tongue inside Julio’s mouth.

If the situation was different, Julio wouldn’t have minded such a rough approach, but this isn’t what Star needs now.

 

He remains firm under Shatterstar’s grasp.

He moves one hand over Star’s hair, starting to gently pet it. It took him some time to get used to the short hair, and as much as he misses the feeling of his once longer cut, he can’t say he minds the change, not when his hair is so fluffy.

 

Julio pulls away and he gets back to give Star small pecks on his lips.

At first Star’s restless and he keeps trying to get more. His movements are quick and rough, almost as if he was attacking him instead of making out with him.

Slowly, however, his movements start to get more lazy and relaxed.

His grip on Julio’s shirt softens and instead Star decides to hug his neck and stay there, and Rictor can feel his smile against his lips.

 

He pulls away to look at Star and he gets struck by how beautiful he looks when he smiles.

It’s something that didn’t happen very often back then, during their X-Force days, and when it did, Julio had to savour those moments. Now it’s different and Shatterstar smiles way more, but this doesn’t mean Julio’s going to stop staring any time soon.

 He doubts he'll ever get tired of seeing that smile.

 

\- How are you feeling? -, Julio asks.

\- Better -, Shatterstar replies, then he reaches for Julio’s mouth again, pressing a kiss to his lips.

\- Thank you -.

\- Of course -, Rictor mutters, not used to such softness coming from Star.

 

\- So… what do we want to do? -.

Shatterstar raises an eyebrow, inquisitive.

\- Are you propositioning for sex? -, he asks.

Julio laughs and laughs and man he’s so glad Shatterstar’s there with him. He hadn’t been this happy for a while.

\- No, I mean, unless you want to -, he explains, - I just asked what you want to do -.

 

Shatterstar thinks about it for a moment, then he mumbles:

\- I would like to sleep. I feel exhausted -.

Julio nods.

\- All right, then sleep it is -.

 

He turns the tv off and he picks Shatterstar up bridal style, just because he can and because he felt like showing off.

Star seems to mumble something in protest that Rictor doesn’t catch but he does nothing to get away. He must be really tired if he’s so compliant.

Well, it’s better this way. It’s not like Julio would’ve dropped him anyway.

 

He helps him laying on the bed, then he get on the mattress as well, beside Star.

Shatterstar doesn’t waste any time and he hugs Julio’s waist, pulling him closer.

\- Good? -, Rictor asks and Shatterstar nods.

\- All right -, he says then, kissing Star’s forehead.

\- Goodnight -.

\- Goodnight, Julio -.

 

Maybe he should stay awake and wait for the others to return, just in case something bad happens – which is usually the case with them – but he’s so tired.

He tries to concentrate on Star, on the sound of him breathing, already happily asleep, but that actually makes it worse.

 

It doesn’t matter. For once he can pretend there’s only him and Star.

He’ll think about the others the next day.


End file.
